Consideration and Approval of Services Contract Renewal:  Contract Renewal with Foxglove Gardening for the Flowers Program
 

1. Approve the Contract Renewal, May 2025 - April 2026 with Foxglove Gardening, an Arizona Corporation, in the amount not to exceed $131,083.35 for labor and supplies to beautify with flowers the designated planters, hanging baskets and wine barrels in the Downtown, Southside, and 4^th Street Gateway to Sunnyside.
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents.

Building on the flower and enhanced landscaping project begun in 2020, this City Council is asked to consider approval renewal of a contract with Foxglove Gardening for a final term of May 2025 – April 2026.  The renewal contract price is increasing, due to both inflation and an increase in scope of services to add eight (8) new hanging baskets on the north side of Route 66 between Leroux and San Francisco.  The full scope of the project includes:

• Evolving from an aesthetic project to providing necessary infrastructure, including large metal planters for street and alley closures, wine barrel plantings that secure the gazebos in Heritage Square, and plantings to help protect people in ‘parklet’ projects (such as the Pay ‘N Take pilot parklet).
• Shifting from seasonal flowers and plantings to a year-round project, with warm weather plantings and fall/winter plantings (that are also part of the Holiday program).
• Increasing the geographic scope from Downtown only to include the Southside and the Fourth Street Gateway.
• Increased maintenance for the increased scope, with all maintenance included in the contract (in 2021 maintenance was shared with the City Parks and Recreation staff; now that the project has grown, it is not possible for the City to provide this maintenance with current staffing levels).
• Additional elements, now including 58 hanging flower baskets, more than 20 wine and whiskey barrel plantings, a pollinator garden and other plantings in the permanent large planters in Heritage Square, large movable metal planters in the historic core and at the Fourth Street Gateway that can be moved for street closures, and a fall/winter planting program with about 25 evergreen trees.

The City will be issuing a new competitive solicitation for the Flowers Program next year.

The Flowers Program adds beauty to Downtown, the Southside and the 4^th St. Gateway. A 2019 study by Bloomberg found that the more beautiful a city is, the more successful it is in attracting jobs and residents, bringing in more income. The project also helped attract customers to local businesses during the challenging times of the pandemic, and directly supports Flagstaff businesses, including Foxglove Landscaping (the contractor), and local nurseries, metal fabricators and signage shops. The project also has high visibility; recent data from Placer AI shows that about 6.3 million visits were made to the historic core (downtown and the Southside) in the last 12 months. Finally, the project has received positive feedback from our community and business-owners alike.

Project Name: Other Miscellaneous Services $25,000; Horticultural Supplies $110,000
Account Number Budgeted: 051-07-211-0825-5-4290; 051-07-211-0825-5-4355
Funding Source: Bed, Board, and Beverage Tax
Cost: $131,083.35  
Funding is available for this contract in the Council approved 5-year plan for the Beautification Fund.  The Beautification Fund is support by voter approved Bed, Board, & Beverage tax revenue and may only be used for purposes of Beautification.

1. Approve the contract renewal and go forward with the Flowers Program for May 2025 – April 2026
2. Council may request changes to the contract, such as eliminating the addition of eight (8) baskets on Route 66 between Leroux and San Francisco on the north side, which may delay implementation of the Flowers Program to June or July 2025 at a minimum.
3. Reject the contract renewal and give direction to staff. This will prevent the Flowers Program from going forward in May 2025 – April 2026.

The City of Flagstaff implemented a pilot flower and enhanced landscaping project in FY2020-21 in Flagstaff’s historic core and built on this project in FY2021-22 to FY2024-25. Successful years of implementation have led the project to grow significantly in scope.

The original Downtown, Southside, and Fourth Street Gateway (Contract No. 2021-90) was dated April 27th, 2021.  Only Foxglove Gardening responded to the Request for Infomal Proposal. This contract was amended by the Contract Renewal dated April 7, 2022: with a second Amendment dated February 21, 2024: and a Third Amendment dated November 12, 2024, which was a minimal amendment to remove the hanging basket brackets when the poles received their refresh of municipal green paint.
 

Livable Community:

• Provide amenities and activities that support a healthy lifestyle
• Create a welcoming community through partnerships, resilient neighborhoods

 
Robust and Resilient Economy:

• Support and strengthen a robust, diverse, and sustainable economy
• Enhance relationships between the development community, the City, and Flagstaff residents

Goal CC.5. Support and promote art, science, and education resources for all to experience.
Goal LU.1. Invest in existing neigh-borhoods and activity centers for the purpose of developing complete, and connected places.

• Policy LU.1.1. Plan for and support reinvestment within the existing city centers and neighborhoods for increased employment and quality of life.
• Policy LU.1.2. Develop reinvestment plans with neighborhood input, identify-ing the center, mix of uses, connectivity patterns, public spaces, and appropriate spaces for people to live, work, and play.

 
Goal LU.3. Continue to enhance the region’s unique sense of place within the urban, suburban, and rural context.
 
Goal LU.11. Prioritize the continual reinvigoration of downtown Flagstaff, whose strategic location, walkable blocks, and historic buildings will continue to be a vibrant destination for all.
 
Goal NH.2. Look to downtown Flagstaff as the primary focal point of the com-munity character.
 

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